Yarn or thread guiding apparatus for a winding location



R. JENNY Sept. 6, 1966 YARN OR THREAD GUIPQIING APPARATUS FOR A WINDING LOCATION Filed June 4, 1964 RuJaL-F Term INVENTOR United States Patent 3,270,971 YARN 0R THREAD GUIDING APPARATUS FOR A WINDING LOCATION Rudolf Jenny, Thalwil, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Schweiter Engineering Works Ltd., Horgen, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed June 4, 1964, Ser. No. 372,484 Claims priority, applicafion Switzerland, June 18, 1963, 7,568/ 63 Claims. (Cl. 242-18) The present invention relates to an improved yarn or thread guiding apparatus for a winding location or unit.

Yarn guide plates of different forms are already known to the art which are arranged in front of the grooved drum in the path of travel of the yarn, having the function of guiding the yarn over such grooved drum to the wind-up bobbin and to maintain the yarn in engagement with the grooves of the aforesaid drum. These yarn guide plates can fulfill such function during such time as the yarn passes through the plate in tensioned condition. However, as soon as the yarn or thread tension considerably fallsotf, as such is the case for example with yarn rupture, the yarn guide plate loses its effectiveness. This results in the yarn or yarn end travelling over one or the other side of the grooved drum and no longer being wound upon the yarn package of the wind-up bobbin, rather thereadjacent upon the bobbin sleeve.

It is obvious, particularly with an automatic Winding machine in which the broken yarn end is located mechanically or pneumatically and delivered to the knotter, that the aforedescribed condition means a disturbance. A mechanical or pneumatic finding of the yarn end is generally only then possible if the yarn end is located in a predetermined zone or region, for example at the bobbin surface, which the yarn end finder members explore and in which they are capable of seizing or grasping the yarn end. Thus, if disturbances in the automatic operation of the machine are to be prevented then it must be ensured that the yarn is not wound-up next to the bobbin, rather upon such bobbin. Prevention of this disturbing condition is, however, not only of importance With automatic winding machines, also with manually operated winding machines in that thereby the yarn finding and knotting work is rendered easier for the textile worker and standstill times of the machine can generally be shortened.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved yarn or thread guide apparatus which can fulfill such requirements and prevents disturbances or reduces their number.

A further important object of the present invention pertains to the provision of an improved yarn guide apparatus constructed in such a manner as to confine the yarn within a given region so that upon the occurrence of an undesirable yarn condition, for example yarn rupture, the mechanism for correcting such undesirable condition finds the yarn end in a position in which the aforesaid mechanism is effective.

The inventive apparatus is manifested by the features that the yarn guide plate together with the surface of the grooved drum limits or bounds a through-passage extending the direction of rotation of the grooved drum and narrowing in such direction.

It has been shown that the tendency of the yarn or thread to deviate laterally past the bobbin surface is mainly attributable to the ventilation effect of the grooved drum with the grooves present at its surface. The air current produced by the grooved drum first of all lifts the untensioned thread or yarn out of the grooves and can also contribute to the fact that the yarn is carried to one or the other side. The peripheral current or stream at the grooved drum is at least partially laterally deflected by 3,270,971 Patented Sept. 6, 1966 ice the yarn guide plate extending transversely with respect to such grooved drum.

The inventive passage formed between grooved drum and yarn guide plate considerably prevents a deflection of the air current and it effects an acceleration of the same in the direction of rotation of the grooved drum in consequence of the reduction in cross-section. As a result, the yarn end is entrained in the zone of the increased air velocity and approximately Wound-up in the middle or central region of the bobbin.

Insofar as desired, the lateral streaming-out of the air from the passage through the gap between grooved drum and yarn plate ensured for by the running clearance can be reduced still further in that the appropriate surface of the guide plate is provided with ribs or fins which together with the surface of the grooved drum build a labyrinth packing or seal.

Other features, object and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the inventive yarn guide apparatus or mechanism;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the yarn guide apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines IIIIII of FIGURE 1 and on an enlarged scale; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines IVIV of FIGURE 1, likewise on an enlarged scale.

Describing now the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes in FIGURES l and 2 the grooved drum provided with conventional non-illustrated grooves. The aforesaid grooved drum 1 rotates about an approximately horizontal axis 2 and is driven by any suitable non-illustrated drive means, in a manner well known to the art. A conical or tapered wind-up bobbin or spool 3 bears against the grooved drum 1 and by virtue of rotating the same in the direction of the arrow 4 (FIGURE 2) such is correspondingly held in rotation in clockwise direction, whereby a yarn or thread F is wound upon the wind-up bobbin 3 in accordance with the course of the grooves. The wind-up bobbin 3 is erected upon a sleeve 5 rotatably mounted at a bobbin support or carrier 6.

In front of the grooved drum 1, at the wind-up side of the thread or yarn F, there is arranged a preferably curved or arched yarn guide plate 7 extending over the width of the aforesaid grooved drum 1. The y-arn guide plate 7 possesses a yarn guide slot 8 extending parallel to the axis 2 of the grooved drum 1 and through which travels the aforesaid yarn F. In order to be able to conveniently introduce this yarn F into the yarn guide slot 8 a threading or infeed slot 10 extends into yarn guide slot 8 from the upper edge 9 of the yarn guide plate 7. With the just-described physical structure of yarn guide plate 7 such has reference to a known construction.

Now, in order to be able to also provide a faultless guide for the 'broken yarn end during winding upon the wind-up spool or bobbin 3 and to prevent the yarn travelling-off towards one or the other frontal side or end of the aforesaid bobbin, the curved confronting frontal surface of the yarn guide plate 7 together with the surface of the grooved drum 1 builds a passage 11 laterally bounded or confined by two conically extending ribs or webs 12. The passage 11 thereby narrows in the direction of rotation of the grooved drum 1 in height as Well as also in Width, so that the air entrained in the direction of the arrows 13 is accelerated upon entering the passage 11.

As indicated by arrows 15 in FIGURE 1, such air stream not only leaves the passage 11 with increased velocity, rather such is also directed towards the middle or central region of the bob'bin surface. Consequently, the air current performs a guiding action upon the broken 3 yarn end P depicted in chain-dot lines in FIGURE 1, and indeed, in such a manner that, there is prevented a slipping-off of such yarn end past the frontal edge of the bobbin 3 and winding upon the sleeve 5.

At both sides of the yarn guide plate 7 externally of the webs or ribs 12 there are arranged ribs 16 extending approximately parallel to the axis 2 of the grooved drum 1. The ribs 16 which, as shown, increase in length in the direction of rotation of the grooved drum, seal the running clearance gap 17 existing between grooved drum 1 and yarn guide plate 7 in the manner of a labyrinth seal or packing and prevent an impingement of the marginal or peripheral Zones of the bobbin 3 by the air current. As a result, there is ensured that the yarn end is wound upon the central region of the wind-up bobbin 3, where it can 'be easily located and grasped by an explorer or finder element of the automatic knotting mechanrsm.

While there is shown and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be oherwise variously embodied and practised within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Yarn guide apparatus comprising, in combination, a rotatable grooved drum located at a winding location, a curved yarn guide plate increasingly curved inwards in the direction of rotation of said grooved drum arranged in front of said grooved drum, said yarn guide plate having curved frontal surfaces and lateral bounding means cooperating with the surface of said grooved drum such as to form and limit a passage extending in the direction of rotation of said grooved drum which narrows in such direction of rotation.

2. Yarn guide apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said lateral bounding means reduces the width of said passage in the direction of rotation of the grooved drum.

3. Yarn guide apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the curvature of said curved frontal surfaces is such that the height of said passage'reduces in the direction of rotation of the grooved drum.

4. Yarn guide apparatus comprising, in combination, a rotatable grooved drum located at a winding location, a curved yarn guide plate provided with a yarn guide slot and a yarn infeed slot communicating with said yarn guide slot, said curved yarn guide plate being arranged non-concentrically with and in front of said grooved drum, said yarn guide plate including curved frontal surfaces and lateral bounding means cooperating with the surface of said grooved drum such as to define and limit a passage extending in the direction of rotation of said grooved drum and narrowing in such direction of rotation, said curved frontal surfaces having a surface area overlying the surface of said grooved drum which is larger than the area of said yarn guide slot.

5. Yarn guide means comprising a rotatable grooved drum, a yarn guide plate arranged in front of said rotatable grooved drum and provided with a yarn guide slot and a yarn infeed slot communicating with said yarn guide slot, said yarn guide plate being provided at one face with spaced, inclined web means forming therebetween and with the surface of said grooved drum a passage for a yarn to be guided, and sealing ribs arranged externally of each of said web means and extending laterally therefrom.

6. Yarn guide means as defined in claim 5 wherein said inclined web means converge in the direction of rotation of said grooved drum from the lower edge of said yarn plate in a direction towards the upper edge thereof.

7. Yarn guide means as defined in claim 5 wherein said web means are arranged and constructed such that the width of said passage reduces in the direction of rotation of said grooved drum from the lower edge towards the upper edge of said yarn guide plate.

8. Yarn guide means as defined in claim 7 wherein said web means are arranged and constructed such that the height of said passage reduces in the direction of rotation of said grooved drum from the lower edge towards the upper edge of said yarn guide plate.

9. Yarn guide means as defined in claim 8, said sealing ribs arranged externally of each of said web means and extending laterally therefrom increasing in length axially of said grooved drum in the direction of rotation thereof.

10. Yarn guide apparatus comprising, in combination, a rotatable grooved drum located at a winding location, a curved yarn guide plate arranged in front of said grooved drum, said yarn guide plate cooperating with the surface of said grooved drum such as to limit a passage extending in the direction of rotation of said grooved drum which narrows in such direction of rotation, the width and height of said passage reducing in the direction of rotation of said grooved drum, the face of said yarn guide plate confronting said grooved drum being provided with two webs laterally bounding said passage as well as sealing ribs arranged externally of said webs, said sealing ribs being situated approximately parallel to the axis of said grooved drum and distributed in the circumferential direction thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,017,129 1/1962 Trost 24235.6

3,136,495 6/ 1964 Furst 24243.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,241,064 4/ 1960 France.

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

MERVIN STEIN, Examiner.

W. S. BURDEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. YARN GUIDE APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A ROTATABLE GROOVED DRUM LOCATED AT A WINDING LOCATION, A CURVED YARN GUIDE PLATE INCREASINGLY CURVED INWARDS IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID GROOVED DRUM ARRANGED IN FRONT OF SAID GROOVED DRUM, SAID YARN GUIDE PLATE HAVING CURVED FRONTAL SURFACES AND LATERAL BOUNDING MEANS COOPERATING WITH THE SURFACE OF SAID GROOVED DRUM SUCH AS TO FORM AND LIMIT A PASSAGE EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID GROOVED DRUM WHICH NARROWS IN SUCH DIRECTION OF ROTATION. 